Page 28 of The Demon's Delight
“Sort of.” He illustrated a ladder with his hands as he listed titles off, top to bottom. “There are kings, dukes, princes, marquises, then earls, knights, and presidents. But the designations aren’t necessarily like they are here. For example, my brother Ipos is both a prince and an earl, and my other brother Tap is both a prince and a great president. You can be awarded several legions on a whim or have them taken away if someone else needs them more.” He shrugged. “It’s loosely merit based but also not. Every last one of us has a unique talent, and no single one of us is in charge, though a few have taken to management much better than others.” He smiled, a secretive lift to his lips.
“So, you’re both in charge of legions and also… not in charge?”
“Yes! Exactly.” He nodded, clearly pleased with my understanding, which if I were being honest, was less clear than before I asked. “Hell is like anywhere else. There are lots of things happening, plenty of people looking busy all the time. Things going on everywhere, but everyone is stuck in their own little life. Not much has clear reason or explanation beyond your individual area or assignment. Not even if you ask, most of the time. Does that make sense?”
“I suppose so.”
“Would you like to practice my sigil once or twice?” He was almost hesitant in the way he asked, scooting closer to my bedroll with a stick in his hand. “Just in case? You did a lovely job of it before, but you were copying from the book, right?”
“Yes. I should probably learn how to do it without an example to mimic.”
He beamed and drew it out in the dirt. “You try.”
I found my own twig to use and copied his mark. He’d made it look so effortless, but I needed lots of practice. I drew it several more times, making sure I had the twists and lines the same way he did.
“Here.” He came over and knelt behind me, his body pressed against my back. I held my breath as he placed his warm hand over mine on the stick, directing the flicks and swirls. My pulse pounded in my ears, the same electric feeling passing between us everywhere he touched me. I was suddenly hot despite the chill of the evening.
“It reminds me of a cloud, a little bit,” I said, tilting my head to the side. I’d thought it was a circle, but there were little bumps and spots where the design narrowed.
“Wings.” The word was warm against my hair. My chest ached again at the reminder that something so important to himhad been suppressed somehow, and I didn’t even know why or how to fix it. “The outline is wings, then through the center is my name, more or less.” He stayed there for several long minutes, his heartbeat thumping against my shoulder blade, voice rumbling against my ribs as his hand directed mine. It took everything I had just to keep breathing somewhat normally.
We drew his sigil over and over again in the dirt, until I could do it without the example or his help. To my amusement, he used the tip of his tail to brush the designs away when we ran out of space, so we could start again.
Finally, he was satisfied with my proficiency and returned to his own blanket. I frowned, something right under my ribs burning like my dinner wasn’t sitting well.
“Should we practice a circle too?” he teased. “Are you tired of me? Ready to send me back now that you know exactly how to draw it out?”
“No, not quite yet.” Truth was, I already couldn’t imagine a day without him. Banishing him away from me was the furthest thing from my mind.
“That’s good.” His voice dropped to just above a whisper. “I’m not ready to leave.”
“Are the sigils all similar?” I asked, uncomfortable in the silence that had fallen between us.
“Yes and no. There’s a general idea that runs through them all. It’s a language. It would make more sense if you knew that alphabet going into things.”
“Will you teach me?” I blushed hard as the words came out of my mouth, then somehow more, when he responded.
Seir bowed his head, rolled his wrist several times in a posh wave and then looked straight through me, leaving a strange mix of anxiety and heat pooled in my stomach. “I’ll teach you whatever you like, my lady. All you need to do is ask.”
Chapter 13
Seir
Islept more that night on a thin bedroll next to a dying fire under the stars than I had since that first night at the little way-house cabin. I would always fondly remember the pallet she’d made for me out of the bed’s soft blankets.
My intriguing companion had my name and could easily write my sigil from memory, which brought me more relief than I’d thought it would. If we were somehow separated and she attempted to summon me, I could return to her.
I liked the idea that she could bring me to her side whenever she pleased. A lot.
The notion lightened my feet as we efficiently broke camp and started down the road once again.
“Is it odd that there aren’t other travelers out here at all?” Hailon asked after our lunch stop, a crown on her head made from a chain of white and purple daisies. She’d made it while we ate our increasingly mismatched food. It was whimsical and suited her, though she’d donned it with endearing hesitation. It was almost as though someone had made her afraid to be playful. I hated that for her and swore to always encourage her to enjoy little things like flower crowns.
“Yes,” I answered plainly. In truth, the lack of other traffic had been increasingly worrisome. There hadn’t been any other people on the road since we’d left Eddington, and even then, none of the wagons had been going the same direction we were. The lack of friendliness with those sparse interactions felt odd as well, the more I thought about it.
The Emankor Valley was a whole group of little villages and towns, a whole area rich in farmland and commerce. To see nobody coming or going at all on what had to be a main road between it and the southern towns was very noticeable. Additionally, the ill temperament of the horses we did encounter was unusual. Surely they couldn’t all be that unhappy.
The second day headed north along the river, trees became more closely grouped together along the sides of the road, and I could feel the incline of the road changing as well. The smell of the water nearby was stronger, though we had yet to really see it unless we wandered a reasonable distance off the road.
